MSI Computer C CX61 2QC-1654US; 9S7-16GD51-1654 Review

3 years ago

MSI are well known for their gaming devices. With this MSI Computer C CX61 2QC-1654US; 9S7-16GD51-1654 model, they are entering the budget gaming laptops domain. Priced at just around $700, this could be a boon for gamers on a budget.

In this MSI Computer C CX61 2QC-1654US; 9S7-16GD51-1654 review, we’ll take a good look at this new budget gaming machine and see if it works well for the money. Stay with us if you are searching for a gaming laptop that doesn’t break your bank!

Design

The design is simple here. The previous MSI laptops we’ve reviewed had a glorified design, but here it’s rather simple. Starting from the branding on the lid, simplicity extends to every part of this laptop. That is not a bad thing necessarily. It still looks good without a doubt.

They keypad is well laid out. They keys are nice to use and have good travel. The arrow keys are full and not half-sized like in other modern laptops. This is very good for gaming. There are a couple of speakers above the keypad and they sound decent.

The trackpad might be a bit too small but is responsive enough. The laptop does look bulky when looked from the sides. It weighs around 5.3 pounds which isn’t too heavy by modern day’s standards. Overall, it is a decent design for a budget gaming laptop.

Hardware

Most of the gaming laptops these days come with a full HD display. This is a low-priced gaming machine and as a result you only get an HD display. The resolution of the 15.6-inch screen here is a decent 1366 x 768 pixels. This isn’t bad by any means, the pictures are clear and crisp and there are good visuals even for gaming.

For minor shortcoming is the absence of a touchscreen. Not many are fond of the same in a gaming machine, but it still could have been a little handy in browsing the operating system.

The processor that runs the MSI Computer C CX61 2QC-1654US is an Intel core i5-4210M processor that clocks at 2.6GHz. This is a 4th gen processor that is capable of running some of the best applications in the business. The processor, without a doubt, can handle the best games with ease.

Apart from gaming, this processor enables the user to run mid range applications without any problem. The processor is well supported by the 8GB DDR3L RAM in the memory department. This is the right amount of memory these days in many ways.

It is more than enough for regular computer usage. Not everyone will use all the 8 gigs at the same time. Even for gaming, this is kinda enough to run some of the best games in the market right now. You can always upgrade to more RAM in the future if you really need it.

The 750GB hard drive has a lot of space to store all your games. Yes, games are quite big nowadays but 750GB should be enough for storage purposes. They could have included an SSD just for the sake of performance. That is another minor disappointment in this machine.

Windows 8 is the operating system here and you can upgrade to the next OS without having to pay a penny. That’s a great deal from Microsoft.

Now, it is time for the best part, the graphics card. Here we have an Nvidia GeForce GT920M which has a dedicated memory of 2GB. This is a pretty decent entry level graphics card but can help you with some high-end gaming. You can get up to 30fps for most of the modern day games, which is great for the price.

But don’t think you can run games like Witcher 3 or Far cry 4. You need more hardware for running new releases like that. Check out some other gaming machines if interested.

There are loads of connectivity options here. There are a couple of USB 3.0 ports which can come in handy. Some might complain that this is less which is true but this is a budget device and they have made both the port as USB 3.0 which is a great attitude from the makers.

Other connectivity options include 802.11b/g/n connectivity and Bluetooth 4.0. There is also a DVD super-multi drive which can be useful for reading and writing DVDs.

MSI Computer C CX61 2QC-1654US; 9S7-16GD51-1654 Review: Verdict

It’s time to tell our verdict on this new gaming device. Remember, this is a gaming laptop on a budget and there might be some shortcomings. But if you are on a budget but love gaming, then this is a very good choice. You can run some of the best games at very good frame rates. Go for it if you love gaming but stuck on a budget.

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